To choose a web hosting service is an incredibly key decision to make when you’re setting out to build a website. Choosing from one of the best web hosting services, as with choosing one of the best website builders, is integral: your chosen host is responsible not just for your site staying online, but also for providing you with flexibility, so that you can modify and grow your website over time.
Here are 6 key points here that you should consider in order to find the right host for your website.
1. Type of Hosting Offered
Most hosting providers offer multiple types of services. For a new website with relatively modest traffic, shared hosting can provide a low-cost option. On the otherhand, if you need more bandwith, look for options like VPS and cloud hosting.
you might also want to consider whether they offer managed hosting or unmanaged hosting. With managed hosting, you won’t have to worry about things like security and software updates- your hosting provider takes care of all those details for you. This may be an especially good option for newer starters.
2. Support
Responsive support is one of the most important things to consider when choosing your web hosting provider. If your website goes down or you’re experiencing a malicious attack, you want to be able to talk to someone who can help as soon as possible. Every minute your website is offline can cost you visitors and sales.
With that in mind, be sure to check what support options a prospective web hosting provider offers. Many hosts have a 24/7 phone, live chat, and email support, while others only offer one or two channels to get in touch. Before you sign up, try giving the support line a call to see whether the customer service team is knowledgeable and helpful.
3. Features
Hosting providers differ a lot in what features they offer with their plans.
To start comparing features, look at how your data will be stored. Many budget providers are using hard disk drives, which are cheap but prone to mechanical failure. An ever-growing number of hosts are switching to solid state disks, which are much more reliable and can speed up your website thanks to faster data transfer operations.
Another thing to look for is whether your hosting plan comes with automatic backups. Having backups of all your content and static pages is absolutely essential for recovering quickly after a server failure or hack on your website.
4. Server Locations
The closer your host’s servers are to your audience, the faster your pages will load for visitors. So, it’s worth checking where your host’s data centers are located and whether you’ll have the option to choose among multiple server locations. Some hosts also give you the option to host your website in an environmentally friendly data center, such as Greengreeks.
5. Areas of specialization
While hosting providers are generalists by nature, some companies specialize in certain types of hosting. For example, you’ll find hosts that dedicate most of their infrastructure to managed WordPress hosting, which can make sense if you’re planning to use WordPress as your content management system.
Other hosting providers focus on cloud hosting, which offers more flexibility to scale your hosting resources up or down. Think carefully about what you need, and then see if there’s a hosting provider designed to cater to that purpose.
6. Security
Website security is more important than ever before thanks to the growth of cyberattacks. If your website is compromised by malicious actors, your visitors’ computers as well as your own could be affected. Worse, you could be liable for damage that originates from your website, even if it resulted from a security
It’s also worth noting that your website can be flagged by Google and other search engines if you share an IP address with compromised or spammy websites. So, even if your website isn’t directly affected by a breach, your traffic could suffer from choosing a host that doesn’t take security seriously.